After All These Years
by kheleka
Summary: [Talim x Yunsung]Talim and Yunsung meet after a while....Oh, forget it. Just read it...please?[I never thought I'd be writing fluff. Well, I sure proved myself wrong.]


Please forgive myself for the poorly written material that will follow.

I'm not a great writer…

This was done only because I was bored

It is my first ever SC fanfic.

So there.

Soul Calibur does not belong to me (Unfortunatley) and neither to Talim and Yunsung…Rub it in, why don't you!

* * *

She stood on the hill, feeling the wind through her hair. She smiled, tilting her head slightly to one side, raising her arms on either side of her body, closing her eyes. She let the wind cleanse her, she felt herself breathe easier. Then the memories came flooding back.

"Look, Yunsung! Feel it? Feel the wind?" She had asked, a cute little girl of 9.

"I told you, Talim, I'm a sword wielder, not a wind priest." Said the 12-year old boy, sulking slightly behind her. She laughed. Everything he said spurred strong emotions inside her. That was before…

Talim, now fifteen, frowned. How could she remember Yunsung? She had forbidden herself to think about him. They had been best friends, until one day he had just disappeared. Simply like that. He had just gone. They had entrusted each other with everything. He had been her only friend, the only one out of an immense popularity of boys that wasn't stalking her. With him, she felt safety. She trusted him. And then he had left.

She sighed, and began trotting down the hill, running back toward the village. Maybe she wasn't paying attention, maybe it was because she was so caught up in old memories she wasn't looking ahead, but she suddenly crashed into something. She was up from the grass in a flash, her blades in her hands. She realized she had crashed into some guy, he had red hair, and a sword in his hand. He was now examining her with an amused expression on his face. She'd never seen HIM before.

"Who are you, and what do you want of me?" She declared of the stranger. He laughed, and that irritated her. He looked eighteen, and somehow, something about him looked somewhat familiar.

"Relax, my lady. I guess we just weren't paying attention." He said nonchalantly. She eyed him, and decided he looked cute. _Whoah, there, Talim! Where did that come from? _Her mental self screeched. She shook her head, never taking her eyes off of his. He looked relaxed and lazy, and that irritated her all the more.

"Who are you?" She repeated slowly. Now he eyed her.

"Who wants to know?" He then glanced at her blades. "You look like you know how to use those."

"I do." She snapped. The creep raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" He said, as though they were having a pleasant conversation. Talim grit her teeth. This guy was really getting on her last nerve. "Why don't you show me?" The thing that happened next was a blur. All she remembered was blocking his vertical attack, then kneeing him in the crotch. He let out a "Oof!" And backed off, wincing. She twirled her blades. And he looked up at her, with some respect this time.

"What'd you do that for?" He asked.

"You attacked me." She answered simply.

"That was nothing." He smirked, then lunged for her again. The moments that followed were also a blur. All she remembered was that she was straddling him, her blades at his throat, his sword laying some distance away. He blinked at her, surprised, then some weird dawning recognition showed in his eyes. It made her uncomfortable.

"Talim?" He whispered, almost timidly. That did it. Her eyes lit up as she finally realized who it was.

"Yunsung!" She squealed, letting him up. As soon as he had dusted himself off, she slapped him. Hard.

"Ai! What'd you do THAT for?" He said, wincing, and rubbing his now red left cheek.

"That," Talim said, "Was for leaving. And _this,_" She added, slapping him again, "Is for not telling me where you went." Now, satisfied, she walked over to his sword, bending over to pick it up, and then handing it back to him. She then turned and pretended not to care that her childhood friend was standing behind her, when, in reality, she wanted to throw her hands around his neck.

He blinked. He was confused. Yunsung stood there stupidly, holding the sword in his hands. In the few moments he had discovered that it was Talim who had beat him up so thoroughly, he had felt happiness, then severe pain, and then, finally confusion. He blinked.

"Talim?" He ventured. He saw her whole body stiffen.

"What, you jerk?" She turned around, snapping at him. He took a step back.

"I left you a note." He said carefully. "Well…sort of."

"You did not."

"I did, Talim. Believe me."

"You did NOT."

"Yes, I did. I left you the rose." He raised his voice. Talim's face smoothed, and her eyes lit up.

"It _was _you, Yunsung!" She laughed. Yunsung blinked. _Girls are confusing._ He told himself. The next thing he knew, she had her arms around him, and he automatically put his on her waist. She felt so right there, as if she belonged. He felt the heat of her body against his, and felt her head, cradled against his chest.

Talim was having similar thoughts, as she listened to his heart beating. She felt his hands on her waist, and felt the muscles he had developed. His hand moved slightly, and she shivered lightly. Then they parted, Talim doing her best to conceal a blush, Yunsung simply looking dazed. She found it harder and harder to suppress the thoughts that went, _Look at him…look at those muscles…look at that smile._ She swallowed, trying to ignore them.

"Where _did _you go?" She finally asked.

"I had to leave with my Master. It was so prompt. All he said was, 'Pack your bags. We're leaving.' I only had five seconds to do so, and I snuck out and left you the rose." She heard him answer, and his warm voice made her shiver lightly all over again. _Stop it, Talim. Take a deep breath, you foolish girl._ She told herself. She smiled at him.

"And now you're back?"

"Yes, and this time, for good. My master was killed in a fight with a demon, and I didn't know what to do. Then I remembered you, Talim, and I came back here in the hopes of seeing you again. Every night for the past six years, I've thought of you." He trailed off. Talim blinked.

"Yes, well, every night for six years I wondered if you were dead, I wondered if you were hurt badly with no one to save you, I wondered if you were in love…" She, too, trailed off.

"I'm sorry for leaving. But it was part of my training, y'know."

"Yes, yes, Yunsung." Talim sighed. She hugged him again, a little awkwardly this time, and started for the village. She suddenly smiled and stopped again.

"You left to train, and were gone for several years, and probably had time to train much, and I _still _beat you." She smirked. Yunsung went red.

"Maybe I wasn't _try_ing." He sniffed.

"Yeah, right." Talim retorted. "You're no match for me."

"Oh, believe me, I am that and more. Care to test me?" He asked, assuming a stance. Talim glanced at him slyly.

"Prepare to face the most embarrassing defeat of your life." She warned him while assuming a stance with her blades. Yunsung smirked, and then they started. They both simply stood there for a while. Finally, Yunsung made the first move, abruptly lunging at her like a cobra. Talim smoothly stepped aside swinging herself over his bent back and standing up on it, then doing a back flip and landing on him, hard, to push him to the ground. Yunsung was up in a flash, and Talim was impressed. That move had taken down many.

Yunsung stood opposite Talim, ignoring the pain in his poor back. He had to admit, she was fast. He searched for an opening, measuring her. Then she lunged with such speed that he was almost impaled on her blades before he had the sense to dodge, maneuvering lightly around her, then grabbing her from behind in a bear hug, holding her arms to her sides. He suddenly blushed for no good reason, feeling her against him, and his hold weakened. She managed to elbow him in the side, whirling around to face him, then kicking him quickly in the shins. That and his dazed state felled him, but he slapped the ground and rolled away from the shiny blade now stuck in the spot where his head had been. He knew she would never actually kill him, and probably knew he would dodge. He jumped to his feet, and then they circled each other. Yunsung took a chance, running towards Talim and slashing at the place her head HAD been. But she had ducked just in time, and now aimed a low kick at his throbbing shin again, and then a punch to the stomach. He winced as she made contact, backing away. Talim stood, and at once lunged at him. Yunsung sidestepped, grabbing her outstretched arm and pulling her to the ground, on the grass. Somehow, their weapons were suddenly gone, and they were wrestling. Yunsung found this to his advantage, for he was strong. He had fought many physical battles. But Talim simply got the best of him. She managed to pin his onto his back, straddling him, pinning his arms to his sides.

"All right, all right." He wheezed after a long and hard struggle. "You beat me." He watched Talim. She smiled, letting his arms go and beginning to stand up. He didn't know what possessed him, but he sat up and grabbed her waist, pulling her back down so she was sitting on his knees, her legs folded underneath her on either side of his. She was blushing, and at this point, so was he. This was most definitely an awkward moment.

"Sorry." He whispered, but he didn't take his hands off of her hips, and she made no move to stand up. He found her so beautiful…he saw her soft lips and wondered what they felt like…

Talim felt herself blushing as she sat on him, feeling his warm hands on her hips. Her hands were braced against his chest, and they had gotten there by being pushed in front of her, so as to not lose balance when he had pulled her down. Now she felt the muscles underneath, and could hear herself thinking about how handsome he was. She didn't even try to stop the thoughts now.

"Talim…" She heard him whisper, and she shivered, not because it was cold. In fact, it was warm. He didn't even have to say it. She knew, by the way he was looking at her. She knew he knew, for she was probably looking at him the same way. With tenderness and passion, with love. Her hands strayed up to his face, where she slowly pulled him toward her. His hands snaked around her, now encircling her body. Now he drew her close, and then he kissed her, his lips gently pressed against her own. She kissed him back, showing him the she cared. When, at last, they broke apart, Yunsung lay down, hugging her to his chest. Talim didn't mind. The layed her head on his chest, feeling the warmth, safety, and love that was Yunsung. She slowly drifted off to sleep there, cradled in his arms.


End file.
